Plate with Integrated Design for Sauces

ABSTRACT

A plate with integrated design for sauces includes a plate well, a lip, an outer base, a plurality of central bases, at least one design indentation, and a design indentation border. The lip is positioned around the plate well, and the outer base and the plurality of central bases are positioned with the plate well opposite from the lip. The at least one design indentation is positioned on the plate well and provides a separate area for the sauces. The design indentation border that provides a barrier between a food surface of the plate well and a top surface of the at least one design indentation is positioned around the at least one design indentation. The plate with integrated design for sauces allows food items to be served on the food surface while keeping the sauces within the at least one design indentation.

The current application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. utility patent application Ser. No. 13/713,836 filed on Dec. 13, 2012, which is a non-provisional of U.S. provisional patent application 61/581,062 filed on Dec. 28, 2011.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a food plate. More specifically, the present invention integrates at least one design indentation with the food plate for complementary sauces.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Food plates are used every day to serve or consume meals, and have become must have items for every household and restaurant. Depending on the type meal, different food plates are used in order to compensate for the size of the meal, the texture of the meal, and the type of meal. For example, the size of the dinner plate is larger compare to the size of the appetizer plate. As modern cuisines improve with different cooking methods and food variety, complementary sauces that go along with a meal have become essential components within the culinary field. As a solution, most of the complementary sauces are either poured over the meal or served separately, but there is one major downside for each of these methods. When the sauces are poured over the meal, the meal becomes soggy and not crispy toward the end of the meal which creates an unpleasant dining experience. When the sauces are served separately, additional bowls are required for sauces wherein the additional bowls create a crowded and messy table.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to help illustrate the meal being presented and help decorate the meal using real food. When the sauces are poured into the at least one design indentation, the sauces adapt to the shape of the at least one design indentation becoming a part of the present invention and creating a colorful environment within the present invention as the poured sauces provide a decorative aspect to the present invention and the stored food items. This gives a person the perception that the poured sauce is part of the plate. If is a further object of the present invention to provide a food plate with at least one integrated design indentation for sauces so that the food items and the sauces can be served within a single plate without the above mentioned downsides. The present invention also represents a unique and decorative appearance for the meal while eliminating additional bowls and preserving the freshness and the crispiness of the food throughout the meal experience.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top perspective view of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a bottom perspective view of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a top perspective view of the present invention, showing the plane upon which a cross sectional view is taken show in FIG. 7.

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional view of the present invention taken along line B-B of FIG. 6.

DETAIL DESCRIPTIONS OF THE INVENTION

All illustrations of the drawings are for the purpose of describing selected versions of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

The present invention, which is a food plate with integrated design for sauces, comprises a plate well 1, a lip 2, an outer base 3, a plurality of central bases 4, at least one design indentation 5, and a design indentation border 6. The present invention is able to hold food items of a meal while the at least one design indentation 5 holds a sauce so that the users of the present invention can either mix the sauce with the food items or dip the food items in the sauce.

The plate well 1 comprises a food surface 11 and a base surface 12, where the food surface 11 and the base surface 12 are oppositely positioned from each other. The food surface 11 faces towards the users of the present invention and provides a surface area so that food items can be stored within the present invention. The base surface 12 faces toward a resting area, where the resting area can be a table top or a counter top. The food surface 11 and the base surface 12 determine the shape of the plate well 1 that include, but is not limited to rectangular, circular, triangular, and any other geometric and organic shapes. The lip 2 is perimetrically positioned around the food surface 11 and oppositely positioned from the base surface 12. Similar to existing food plates, the lip 2 of the present invention creates an incline surface around the plate well 1 so that the stored food items do not spill or roll out of the present invention. The lip 2 preferably makes a 40 degrees incline angle with the food surface 11, but the incline angle is not limited to 40 degrees and can be any other angle as long as the incline angle is in between 1 degree and 90 degrees. The lip 2 comprises a rim 21, where the rim 21 is perimetrically and adjacently positioned atop the lip 2 opposite from the food surface 11. The rim 21 surface is preferably parallel with the food surface 11, creating a smooth finish to the present invention. The lip 2 functions as a barrier in between an inner portion and an outer portion of the present invention. In general, the inner portion of the present invention opens up to the stored food within, and the outer portion opens up to the surrounding environment of the resting area.

The outer base 3 and the plurality of central bases 4 are perpendicularly positioned with the base surface 12 opposite from the food surface 11 as the base surface 12 provides a foundation for the outer base 3 and the plurality of central bases 4. The outer base 3, which stabilizes the present invention within the resting area, is perimetrically connected around the base surface 12. The outer base 3 is preferably made into a one continuous shape in order to strengthen the outer base 3. The plurality of central bases 4 is concentrically connected with the base surface 12 and enclosed by the outer base 3 as the plurality of central bases 4 provides stability to the center of the present invention when the present invention is placed on smaller resting area with respect to the size of the plate well 1. The plurality of central bases 4 also strengthens the plate well 1 by equally distributing the weight of the plate well 1 and the weight of the food items within the present invention. The outer base 3 and the plurality of central bases 4 function as a table coaster for the present invention so that the present invention does not damage the resting area from hot food items and/or hot sauces. More specifically, since the base surface 12 or the bottom surface 52 don't touch the resting area, the thermal energy from the hot food items and/or the hot sauces does not transfer to resting area through thermal conduction but discharges into an air pocket in between the plate well 1 and the resting area while protecting the resting area.

The at least one design indentation 5 is positioned with the plate well 1. More specifically, the at least one design indentation 5 is extended into the plate well 1 from the food surface 11. The design indentation border 6 is perimetrically positioned around the at least one design indentation 5 and perpendicularly extended beyond the food surface 11. The at least one design indentation 5 provides an enclosed area within the present invention so that the sauces can be stored within the plate well 1. Because of the at least one design indentation 5, the stored sauces within the present invention do not run into the stored food items and keeps the food items separate from the sauces. Due to the decorative separation of the food items and the sauces, the present invention creates a professional presentation within the plate well 1. The shape of the at least one design indentation 5 of the present invention can be any geometric, organic, or stylize design that includes, but is not limited to a circle shape, a heart shape, rectangular shapes, and clover shapes. The at least one design indentation 5 comprises a top surface 51 and a bottom surface 52, where the top surface 51 and the bottom surface 52 determine the vertical positioning of the at least one design indentation 5 within the plate well 1. More specifically, the top surface 51 is positioned below the food surface 11 and adjacently positioned with the design indentation border 6. The top surface 51 along with the design indentation border 6 secures the stored sauces of the present invention. Since the top surface 51 is positioned below the food surface 11, the volume within the at least one indentation also increases in order to accommodate for the necessary volume of the sauces. The bottom surface 52 is oppositely positioned from the top surface 51, where the bottom surface 52 is positioned in between the base surface 12 and a bottom extremity 31 of the outer surface. Since the bottom surface 52 is positioned below the base surface 12, the shape of the at least one design indentation 5 can be recognized from the bottom view of the present invention. Due to the fact the fact that the at least one indentation is recognizable from either the top view or the bottom view, the present invention can be stored away in any direction as the at least one indentation is visible from either view.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the preferred embodiment has a square shape with a side width of 8 inches. The lip 2 makes a 40 degree incline angle with the food surface 11. The outer base 3 and the plurality of central bases 4 have a thickness of 0.125 inches, where a side width of the outer base 3 is 6 inches. The top surface 51 of the at least one indentation is positioned 0.125 inches below the food surface 11, and the design indentation border 6 extends 0.125 inches above the food surface 11.

The present invention can be made from any type of food safe material(s), such as porcelain, ceramic, glass or any combination thereof. The present invention allows the stored food items to be fresh and crispy until the last bit since the sauces are kept separate from the stored food items. When the sauces are poured into the at least one design indentation 5, the sauces adapt to the shape of the at least one design indentation 5 becoming a part of the present invention and creating a colorful environment within the present invention as the poured sauces provide a decorative aspect to the present invention and the stored food items. Since the sauces can be poured into the at least one design indentation 5, the present invention completely eliminates additional bowls which are normally filled with sauces.

Although the invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A plate with integrated design for sauces comprises: a plate well; a lip; an outer base; a plurality of central bases; at least one design indentation; a design indentation border; the plate well comprises a food surface and a base surface; the lip comprises a rim; and at least one design indentation comprises a top surface and a bottom surface.
 2. The plate with integrated design for sauces as claim in claim 1 comprises: the food surface and the base surface being oppositely positioned from each other; the lip being perimetrically positioned around the food surface; the lip being oppositely positioned from the base surface; and the rim being perimetrically positioned atop the lip opposite from the food surface.
 3. The plate with integrated design for sauces as claim in claim 1 comprises: the outer base being perimetrically connected around the base surface; the outer base being perpendicularly positioned with the base surface opposite from the food surface; the plurality of central bases being concentrically connected with the base surface; the plurality of central bases being perpendicularly positioned with the base surface opposite from the food surface; and the plurality of central bases being enclosed by the outer base.
 4. The plate with integrated design for sauces as claim in claim 1 comprises: the at least one design indentation being positioned with the plate well; the design indentation border being perimetrically positioned around the at least one design indentation; and the design indentation border being perpendicularly extended beyond the food surface.
 5. The plate with integrated design for sauces as claim in claim 4 comprises: the top surface being positioned below the food surface; the top surface being adjacently positioned with the design indentation border; the bottom surface being oppositely positioned from the top surface; and the bottom surface being positioned in between the base surface and a bottom extremity of the outer base.
 6. A plate with integrated design for sauces comprises: a plate well; a lip; an outer base; a plurality of central bases; at least one design indentation; a design indentation border; the plate well comprises a food surface and a base surface; the lip comprises a rim; at least one design indentation comprises a top surface and a bottom surface; the food surface and the base surface being oppositely positioned from each other; the lip being perimetrically positioned around the food surface; the lip being oppositely positioned from the base surface; and the rim being perimetrically positioned atop the lip opposite from the food surface.
 7. The plate with integrated design for sauces as claim in claim 6 comprises: the outer base being perimetrically connected around the base surface; the outer base being perpendicularly positioned with the base surface opposite from the food surface; the plurality of central bases being concentrically connected with the base surface; the plurality of central bases being perpendicularly positioned with the base surface opposite from the food surface; and the plurality of central bases being enclosed by the outer base.
 8. The plate with integrated design for sauces as claim in claim 6 comprises: the at least one design indentation being positioned with the plate well; the design indentation border being perimetrically positioned around the at least one design indentation; and the design indentation border being perpendicularly extended beyond the food surface.
 9. The plate with integrated design for sauces as claim in claim 8 comprises: the top surface being positioned below the food surface; the top surface being adjacently positioned with the design indentation border; the bottom surface being oppositely positioned from the top surface; and the bottom surface being positioned in between the base surface and the outer base.
 10. A plate with integrated design for sauces comprises: a plate well; a lip; an outer base; a plurality of central bases; at least one design indentation; a design indentation border; the plate well comprises a food surface and a base surface; the lip comprises a rim; at least one design indentation comprises a top surface and a bottom surface; the food surface and the base surface being oppositely positioned from each other; the lip being perimetrically positioned around the food surface; the lip being oppositely positioned from the base surface; the rim being perimetrically positioned atop the lip opposite from the food surface; the at least one design indentation being positioned with the plate well; the design indentation border being perimetrically positioned around the at least one design indentation; and the design indentation border being perpendicularly extended beyond the food surface.
 11. The plate with integrated design for sauces as claim in claim 10 comprises: the outer base being perimetrically connected around the base surface; the outer base being perpendicularly positioned with the base surface opposite from the food surface; the plurality of central bases being concentrically connected with the base surface; the plurality of central bases being perpendicularly positioned with the base surface opposite from the food surface; and the plurality of central bases being enclosed by the outer base.
 12. The plate with integrated design for sauces as claim in claim 10 comprises: the top surface being positioned below the food surface; the top surface being adjacently positioned with the design indentation border; the bottom surface being oppositely positioned from the top surface; and the bottom surface being positioned in between the base surface and the outer base. 